Pumping system

ABSTRACT

A pumping system for a wet well of a sewage system is disclosed which includes a submersible pump unit which can be lowered into and hoisted from an operating position in the well. The pump unit carries a detachable coupling by which the unit is coupled to a discharge conduit structure through which liquid is expelled from the wet well. The coupling includes interengaging parts which are detachable from the pump unit and the conduit structure for replacement. The coupling also carries an easily replaceable resilient lip seal element which engages the discharge conduit to prevent leakage between the pump unit and the discharge conduit.

United States Patent 1191 Woliord et al.

1 PUMPING SYSTEM [75] inventors: Dale E. Woliord, Ashland; David L.

Meister; Charles J. Taylor. both of Mansfield. all of Ohio [73]Assignee: The Gorman-Rupp Company,

Mansfield, Ohio 22 Filed; on. 29, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 410,793

[52] US. Cl. 417/360; 417/361 [51] Int. Cl. F04!) 39/14 {58] Field ofSearch 417/360. 361; 222/333;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,462 493 2/1949 Hamer277/171 X 2.885.227 5/1959 Burger.... 277/171 X 3,136,259 6/1964 Bood 1.417/360 1427.982 2/1969 Englcsson 417/360 1519,1172 7/1970 Hilden417/360 X 3656.871 4/1972 Carlsson 417/361 1 Apr. 29, 1975 3771.91511/1973 Back ..4l7/360 Primary Examiner-William L. Freeh AssistantExaminer-Richard E. Gluck Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Watts. Hoffmann,Fisher & Heinke C0.

[57] ABSTRACT A pumping system for a wet well of a sewage system isdisclosed which includes a submersible pump unit which can be loweredinto and hoisted from an operating position in the well. The pump unitcarries a detachable coupling by which the unit is coupled to adischarge conduit structure through which liquid is expelled from thewet wellv The coupling includes interengaging parts which are detachablefrom the pump unit and the conduit structure for replacement. Thecoupling also carries an easily replaceable resilient lip seal elementwhich engages the discharge conduit to prevent leakage between the pumpunit and the discharge conduit.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PUMPING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONl. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to pumpingsystems and more particularly relates to pumping systems in which a pumpunit is connected to a discharge conduit structure at a relativelyinaccessible location by a coupling arrangement which enables the pumpunit to be connected to and sealed with the discharge conduit structure.

2. The Prior Art A number of prior art pump units have includedsubmersible electric drive motors and are employed in excavations, wetwells in sewage systems, or similar relatively inaccessible locationswhere the pump unit is submerged in liquid and connected to a stationarypump liquid discharge receiving conduit structure. When sufficientliquid accumulated at the pump loca tion, the pump unit was operated topump liquid from the location via the discharge conduit structure.

A submersible pump unit normally included a pump housing having atubular discharge section which was constructed to mate with anassociation discharge conduit. These constructions enabled a pump unitto be lowered to a submerged location, engaged with and supported by thedischarge conduit, and operated from a remote electrical power supply topump liquid from the location. When pump unit maintenance or repair wasrequired, the pump unit was hoisted out of the liquid to a locationwhere it was accessible to a serviceman.

A coupling arrangement formed by cooperating parts of the pump unit andthe discharge conduit was usually employed to detachably secure the pumpunit to the conduit structure without requiring a maintenance man toenter the liquid at the pump location. In some prior art proposals, thepump units were lowered along vertical guides which directed thecoupling parts into engagement. The pump unit was usually lowered in aslightly tipped orientation to facilitate engagement of the couplingparts. As lowering continued, the pump unit tipped back to its operatingorientation since at least part of the weight of the pump was supportedby the discharge conduit via the coupling. When the pump unit washoisted from its location it was tipped again to enable disengagement ofthe coupling parts.

In some other proposals when the pump was lowered it was wedged intoengagement with the discharge conduit. The weight of the pump maintainedthe components tightly engaged when the pump was properly positioned.Hoisting the pump generally resulted in easy disengagement of thecomponents.

These systems relied on the pump weight to provide sealing engagementbetween the pump units and the conduit structure. The establishment andmaintenance of an effective seal at the juncture of the pump housingdischarge section and the discharge conduit structure has been a longstanding problem in the art. A number of prior art systems have employedmetal-to-metal face seals. In these systems the pump housing dischargesec tion terminated in a radical flange having an annular seal face. Aflange on the conduit structure was provided with a mating annular sealface. The weight of the pump unit was used to force the sealing facesinto engagement to prevent high pressure discharge liquid from leakingbetween the faces. In order to assure an effective seal, the sealingfaces had to be highly finished surfaces and it was essential that thesurfaces be accu rately aligned.

There were a number of drawbacks to these proposals. The metal sealfaces were susceptible to degradation and when this occurred, were quitedifficult to repair. The liquids in which the pumps were submerged oftencontained suspended abrasive particles and the liquids themselves couldbe quite corrosive. Either or both of these factors contributed to sealfailures since the sealing surfaces were exposed to the liquid andsubject to corrosion and abrasion. When the seal failed, the seal faceshad to be refinished necessitating removal of the pump unit and part ofthe discharge conduit from the system.

In order to avoid this problem, a proposal was made to position anO-ring type seal in a ring groove in the conduit flange. The O-ring sealhad to be installed below the liquid level, was difficult to maintain inproper position during installation of the associated pump unit. and waslikewise difficult to inspect and replace when it became worn.

Furthermore, the O-ring seals were circumferentially expanded by pumpedliquid pressure and this caused seal wear as the seal slid along theassociated sealing surfaces. To minimize abrasion of the O-rings, theasso ciated flange surfaces were provided with relatively smoothfinishes. Moreover, in some installations when the pump was notoperating and was slightly misaligned with the discharge conduit, therelaxed O-ring became disengaged from its associated flange seal face.This allowed suspended matter in the liquid to become lodged between theO-ring and the seal face causing the seal to malfunction. Themetal-to-metal seals suffered from the same problem.

The couplings were frequently formed by interengaging parts on the pumpdischarge and conduit flanges. This required the flanges to be providedwith machined surfaces which were difficult to form during fabricationof the components. In order to maximize the durability of the couplingsthe pump housing and conduit were sometimes formed by high strength,corrosion resistant materials. Nevertheless, these parts were subject toeventual corrosion and wearing.

Motor driven pumps of the character referred to applied relatively largemomentary starting torques to the couplings and seals while duringoperation of the pumps the couplings and seals were often subjected tovibratory forces. The application of these kinds of forces resulted infretting wear and corrosion of the coupling parts which in turn causedprogressively worsening misalignment which contributed to reduced seallife and efficiency.

Wearing and corrosion of the couplings eventually required replacementand/or repair of the pump housings and the associated discharge conduitsections. This was an expensive and time consuming procedure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a new andimproved pumping system wherein a pump unit and stationary dischargeconduit structure are detachably coupled together to provide anefficient, long-lived seal between the pump unit and the dischargeconduit, in which fretting wear and corrosion of the coupling parts isminimized and wherein repair and replacement of coupling and seal partswhich do eventually become worn can be easily accomplished withoutrequiring removal of piping from the discharge conduit structure.

In an illustrated embodiment of the invention, a pump unit is submergedin a wet well of a sewage system and is detachably connected to astationary dis charge conduit structure in the well. The pump unit ishoisted from and lowered into the well along fixed guide rails whichguide the pump unit toward and away from the discharge conduitstructure.

The pump unit includes a housing having a liquid inlet, a tubulardischarge section. and a pumping device for drawing liquid from the wellthrough the inlet and discharging the liquid through the dischargesection. The pump is operated by a submersible electric motor integralwith the housing.

One important feature of the invention resides in the construction of acoupling which is detachably connected to the pump housing dischargesection and couples the pump unit to a flange of the discharge conduitstructure. The new coupling provides an improved seal with the conduitflange to prevent leakage of liquid being pumped from the well throughthe conduit structure.

The coupling includes a coupling body which is detachably connected tothe pump housing discharge section. The coupling body has a central flowopening aligned with the pump housing discharge opening so that liquidfrom the pump discharge section flow through the coupling body to thedischarge conduit. A hook structure formed by a pair of widely spacedhook members which are integral with the coupling body projects abovethe coupling body towards the discharge conduit structure.

As the pump unit is lowered into its operating position in the well, thehook members engage a pump supporting element on the discharge conduitat locations above and on opposite sides of the conduit flange. The hookmembers couple the pump unit to the conduit with the weight of the pumpunit at least partially borne by the hooks. The wide spacing of thehooks minimizes the torsional stresses applied to the hooks, the pumpsupporting element, and the seal when the pump motor is started orstopped.

The components of the coupling can be replaced separately from the pumpunit and the discharge conduit when the coupling becomes worn orcorroded. The pump supporting element is preferably constructed from ahigh strength corrosion resistant member which is separable from thedischarge conduit. In the preferred embodiment of the invention theelement is formed by a cylindrical rod which can be detached from thedischarge conduit for replacement should it become worn or corroded. Ifthe hooks become worn or corroded, the coupling body is removed from thepump unit and replaced. The coupling can thus be completely replacedwithout requiring additional machining of the pump unit and theassociated discharge conduit section.

Another important feature of the invention is the provision of acircumferentially extending lip seal member carried by the coupling bodyfor sealingly engaging the discharge conduit flange. The seal member hasa body portion which is nested in and conforms to a dovetail groovewhich extends circumferentially about the discharge opening in thecoupling body. A resiliently deformable circumferential sealing lipprojects from the seal body portion away from the coupling body. Thesealing lip is curved slightly inwardly towards the coupling body flowopening at its terminus. When the pump unit is coupled to the conduitstructure the weight of the pump unit compresses the seal lip againstthe adjacent face of the discharge conduit flange. The lip isresiliently deflected towards the coupling body flow opening and hencewhen the pump operates, the discharge liquid pressure increases thesealing pressure applied by the seal lip to the conduit flange.Moreover, when pump operating vibrations occur which tend to change thealignment between the coupling body and the conduit flange, the seal liptends to "roll" on the conduit flange which minimizes abrasion of theseal lip. This interaction between the seal lip and the conduit flangepermits use of conduit flanges having as cast" face finishes. Grindingor polishing is not required during fabrication.

The extent of projection of the lip from the coupling body assures thata seal is maintained with the conduit flange in all but the worst casesof misalignment of the pump unit and discharge conduit structure. Whenthe pump is not operating the seal lip remains resiliently deflected byand engaged with the conduit flange so that foreign matter in the liquidcannot become lodged between the seal lip and the conduit flange.

Any time the pump unit is removed from the well, the coupling hooks andthe seal can be inspected and, if damaged or worn, they can readily bereplaced without requiring the pump housing discharge section to berepaired or machined. If the seal is worn it is easily removed from itssupporting groove and replaced. The new seal is positively positioned inthe groove and is not dislodged when the pump unit is repositioned foroperation.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description of a preferred embodiment made withreference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of thespecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view ofpart of a pumping system embodying the invention with parts shown inalternate positions;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of part of the system shown in FIG. I seenapproximately from the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of part of the pumpingsystem of FIG. 1 with portions shown in cross section;

FIG. 4 is a view seen approximately from the plane indicated by the line4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevational view of part of the apparatus of FIG.2 seen approximately from the plane indicated by the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;and,

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the part shown in FIG. 5 seenapproximately from the plane indicated by the line 66 of FIG. 5 withportions broken away and shown in cross section.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A pumping system 10 embodying thepresent invention is illustrated in FIG. I employed in a wet well 12 ofa sewage system. The pumping system 10 includes a submersible pump unit14, a pump discharge conduit structure 16, and a coupling 18 by whichthe pump unit l4 and conduit structure are detachably connected together in the wet well.

The wet well is formed by a liquid impervious tank which is buried inthe ground. A mounting plate 22 is attached to the base of the tank andthe conduit structure is connected to the mounting plate. A pair ofparallel guide rods 24, 26 are connected to the mounting plate 22 andextend upwardly through the well to an overhead access opening ormanhole, not shown, at the top of the well. The pump unit can be removedfrom and replaced in the well via the manhole by raising and loweringthe pump unit along the guide rails 24, 26.

The pump unit 14 is in its operating position when coupled to thedischarge conduit structure as illustrated by broken lines in FIG. 1.The wet well accurnu lates liquid until a predetermined level isreached. The pump is then operated to pump liquid from the well via theconduit structure. When the liquid reaches a given low level the pump isstopped and the liquid permitted to accumulate again. Consequently thepump is normally at least partly submerged in the liquid when in itsoperating position. When pump maintenance is required, the pump ishoisted from the well to a location at which the pump is convenientlyaccessible to a maintenance man.

The discharge conduit structure 16 is built into the well 12 andcomprises an anchor section 30 attached to the mounting plate 22 forpartially supporting the pump unit and pipe section 32a-32e. Asillustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, as the anchor section 30 is formed by acast support body 34 having a lower base plate 36 connected to themounting plate 22 and a pump discharge receiving elbow 38 which isintegrally formed with the body 36 at its upper end. The discharge elbow38 includes a vertically extending inlet flange 40 which faces the pumpunit [4 and a generally horizontally extending circular outlet flange 42to which the pipe section 320 is attached. The pipe sections 32a-32cextend upwardly from the elbow in the well while the pipe sec tion 32e,only part of which is illustrated, extends horizontally from the wellthrough an opening in the side wall. The pipe sections 320 and 32e areconnected by a 90 elbow section 32d at a location spaced substan tiallyabove the bottom of the well.

The inlet flange 40 of the discharge elbow 38 includes a generallycircularly curved lower flange portion 44 and a thickened flange portion46 which extends transversely across the upper side of flange portion44. The flange 40 defines a planar front sealing face 48 which isengaged by the coupling 18 when the pump unit is in its operatingposition to prevent leakage of pump discharge liquid along the sealingface 48.

The Pump Unit.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the pump unit 14 is preferably an electricmotor driven centrifugal pump which includes a cast, generallycylindrical pump housing 50 having a generally circular base 52 definingan inlet port 54, and a tubular projecting discharge section 55 whichterminates in a mounting flange 56 surrounding a discharge port 58. Arotatable impeller 60 is disposed within the pump housing 50 for drawingliquid from the well via the inlet port 54 and discharging the liquidinto the discharge conduit structure 16 via the discharge port 58. Theimpeller 60 is driven by a submersible electric impeller driving motorassembly 62 which is attached to the upper side of the housing 50. Thedrive motor is connected to the impeller by a vertically extending driveshaft, which is not illustrated, and the electric motor itself isenergizable from a remote electrical power supply via a power cable 63which extends upwardly through the wet well. Operation of the motorassembly 62 can be controlled in any suitable or conventional manner,for example by a liquid level sensing control, not illustrated.

The pump unit 14 requires inspection and maintenance from time to timeand when maintenance is required the pump unit is hoisted from itsoperating position to a location where the pump unit is accessible tothe maintenance man without requiring the maintenance man to enter thewell. After maintenance is com' pleted the pump unit 14 is again loweredinto well to its operating position. The pump is moved into and from thewell along the guide rods 24, 26. Vertical guide plates 64, 66 areconnected to diametrically opposed sides of the pump housing 50 and eachguide plate carries pairs of laterally projecting guide fingers 68, 70at its upper and lower ends, respectively. The guide fingers are spacedapart a sufficient distance so that the associated guide rod extendsloosely between the guide fingers of each pair. The guide finger spacingenables the pump unit 14 to tip slightly relative to the guide rods asthe pump is raised from or lowered into the well.

in the preferred and illustrated embodiment of the invention a hoistingcable 72 is attached to the pump unit 14 by a cable eye 74 which isfixed to the motor assembly 62 at a location beyond the pump unit centerof gravity from the anchor section 30. The upper end of the cable isconnected to a winch or other suitable lifting mechanism. When the pumpunit is suspended by the cable 72 it tips slightly to the orientationwhich is shown in full lines in FIG. 1 due to the location of the cableeye 74. Tipping of the pump unit when suspended by the cable facilitatesengagement and disengagement of the coupling 18.

The Coupling The coupling 18 interconnects the pump unit 14 to thedischarge elbow 38 as the pump unit is lowered to its operating positionand also provides a highly efficient seal with the discharge elbow sealface 48. Referring now to FIGS. 3-6 the coupling 18 comprises a couplingbody which is connected to the pump discharge flange 56, hook structure82 integral with and projecting from the coupling body towards thedischarge elbow 38, a pump supporting element 84 connected to thedischarge elbow 38 for coupling engagement by the hook structure as thepump unit is lowered. and a seal construction 86 for preventing leakageof pumped liquid between the coupling body 80 and the discharge elbowseal face 48.

The coupling body 80 is formed by a generally D" shaped planarplate-like member consisting of a high strength corrosion resistantmaterial and is detachably connected to the pump discharge flange 56 byscrews 90 which extend through openings in the pump discharge flange andinto tapped holes 92 in the body 80. A secondary sealing gasket 94 iscompressed between the body 80 and the sealing flange 56 when the screws90 are tightened. The coupling body 80 defines a central flow opening 96aligned with and having the same diametrical size and shape as the pumpdischarge port 58. Thus when the body 80 is connected to the pumpdischarge flange 56 liquid from the pump discharge port 58 flowsunrestrictedly through the coupling body 80 and is prevented fromleaking along the face of the flange 56 by the gasket 94.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, and 6, the hook structure 82 is formed by apair of widely spaced parallel hook members 100, I02 which are integralwith the coupling body 80. The hook members project from opposite sidesof the body 80 and extend upwardly and away from the body towards thedischarge elbow flange 40.

The hook members define downwardly facing circularly curved bightsurfaces 104 having their centers of curvature located on a commonhorizontal axis. The downwardly projecting hook tip portion I06 of eachhook member includes a bearing face 108 extending tangentially from thebight surface 104 generally parallel to the plane of the body 80. A camsurface [10 extends tangentially from the bight surface 104 toward thebody 80 at a small angle with respect to the plane of the body 80 toprovide for guiding the pump supporting element 84 onto the bightsurface 104 when the pump unit is being coupled to the discharge elbow.

The hooks 100, I02 engage and seat on the pump supporting element 84 sothat the pump unit can pivot relative to the discharge elbow 38 into itsoperating position. The pump supporting element 84 is preferably formedby a cylindrical rod which is disposed in a conforming horizontal borehole 114 extending through the elbow flange portion 46 generallyparallel to the plane of the seal face 48. The rod 84 is constructed ofa high strength corrosion resistant material and is positioned andmaintained in the bore hole 114 by a set screw 116 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

Opposite end portions 118 of the rod 84 extend laterally beyond thedischarge elbow flange 40 and these end portions are engaged by therespective hook members 100, 102. The rod has the same radius ofcurvature as the hook bight surfaces 104 so that the rod seats againstthe bight surfaces 104 when the pump unit and discharge elbow arecoupled, yet the pump unit can pivot relative to the rod while the hookmembers and supporting rod remain in coupling engagement.

The wide spacing of the hook members I00, 102 tends to reduce the levelof stresses imposed on the coupling due to motor starting torqueloadings and vibratory forces which arise during operation of the pump.The reduction of these stresses results in reduced fretting wear of theengaged coupling parts and tends to increase the effective life of boththe engaged coupling parts and the seal construction.

As the pump unit 14 is lowered to its operating posi tion from theposition illusutrated in full lines in FIG. 1, the hook members 100, I02engage the respective end portions 118 of the rod 84 along the camsurface portions Ill). The end portions of the rod are thus guided tothe bight surfaces I04. The cam surface portions 110 also draw theuppermost portion of the coupling body toward the flange seal face 48 toassure engagement of the uppermost part of the seal construction 86 withthe face 48. As the pump unit continues to be lowered, the pump unit andcoupling body 80 rotate relative to the rod 84 to move the coupling body80 into confronting relationship with the discharge elbow seal face 48.The weight of the pump unit 14, acting about the axis of the rod 84,urges the seal construction 86 into sealing engagement with the sealface 48. The hook faces 108 prevent the pump unit 14 from moving awayfrom the face 48 when the pump is in its operating position.

The anchor section 30, via the coupling 18, supports at least part ofthe weight of the pump unit 14 and utilizes the weight of the pump toestablish a positive seal between the discharge elbow flange 40 and thecoupling body 80. In some installations, the pump unit 14 can weigh morethan l.000 pounds and in such installations, in order to reduce thestress applied to the coupling l8 and the anchor unit 38, a projectingleg (indicated by the reference character in FIG. I) is provided on thepump housing 30 for engagement with the base plate 22 when the pump isat its desired operating position. Smaller pumping units can besupported entirely by the coupling 18 and the anchor unit 30 and suchunits need not be provided with a support leg.

The seal construction 86 is best shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 and includes agenerally annular resilient, soft rubber or plastic seal member I30extending about the flow opening 96 in the coupling body 80 and bearingagainst the sealing face 48 on the discharge elbow flange 40. The sealmember includes an annular body portion 132 which is nested in andconformed to a circular, generally undercut or dovetail groove 134formed in the coupling body 80 about the flow opening. A resilientlydeformable annular lip portion I36 extends from the groove 134 towardsthe face 48. The lip portion curves radially inwardly proceeding towardsits projecting edge 138 when in its relaxed condition (as illustrated inFIG. 6).

As the coupling body 80 pivots with the pump unit 14 towards the sealface 48, the lip portion 136 of the seal member is engaged by the sealface 48 and is both compressed and resiliently deflected radiallyinwardly to its configuration illustrated in FIG. 3. With the lipportion resiliently deformed in this fashion the pressure of the pumpeddischarge liquid passing from the pump discharge port 58 through thedischarge elbow 36 acts on the lip portion to urge it into tightersealing engagement with the flange seal face 48. When the pump is notoperating the lip portion remains tightly engaged with the face 48 dueto the resiliency of the lip portion.

The construction of the seal member I30 and the groove I34 are such thatabrasion of the seal member is minimized. As the seal lip portion ispivoted into engagement with the seal face 48 it is deformed by more orless rolling" engagement with the seal face 48. When the pump isoperated, the pressure of pumped discharge liquid passing from thedischarge port 58 through the elbow 38 acts to radially expand the sealelement, but the radially outer side of the groove 134 tends to supportthe sealing lip against radially outward sliding or extrusion along theseal face 48. Moreover. when pump operating vibrations are transmittedto the seal member the lip portion has sufficient resiliency, even whencompressed to the condition illustrated in FIG. 3, to resiliently flexwith the vibrations so that the contacting surfaces of the flange 48 andthe seal lip portion do not slide relative to each other appreciably.The amount of sliding of the seal element relative to the seal face 48is thus minimized and abrasion of the seal member 130 is substantiallyavoided.

It has been found that a seal member constructed in accordance with thepresent invention can be utilized over long periods against a sealingflange face 48 having an as cast" surface finish without noticeableabrasion of the seal member. This eliminates the necessity of grindingor polishing the seal face 48 during fabrication of the elbow 38.

Because the seal body 132 is conformed with the groove 134 the sealmember is positively supported by the coupling body 80. Hence the sealelement can be inspected for damage each time the pump unit 14 isremoved from a well 12 without requiring the maintenance man to enterthe well in order to inspect the seal. If the seal element becomes wornit is readily replaced and is positively positioned during installationof the pump unit.

Parts of the coupling 18 will inevitably become worn or corroded afterthe pump unit 14 has been in service for a period of time. When thisoccurs the alignment between the coupling body 80 and the dischargeelbow 38 will be adversely effected in that the coupling body 80 maytend to move away from the seal face 48, particularly adjacent the hookstructure. When this occurs the seal between the flange face 48 and theseal member 130 is maintained intact because the tip portion 136 tendsto return toward its relaxed condition thus remaining resilientlyengaged against the seal face 48. The sealing relationship is lost onlyin cases of severe wearing and misalignment of the coupling anddischarge conduit.

When wearing or corrosion of the hook members 100, N12 or the rod 84becomes pronounced, the entire coupling 18, or parts of it, can bereplaced without requiring machining of the pump housing 50 or theanchor section 30. The coupling is replaced merely by unscrewing thecoupling body 80 from the pump discharge flange 56 and replacing it.This is accomplished without requiring a maintenance man to enter thewell. The rod 84 is replaceable by loosening the set screw 116 andreplacing the rod. This does require a maintenance man to enter the wellbut does not require removal or loosening of any of the pipe sections inthe discharge conduit structure.

Another advantage of the coupling 18 resides in the fact that thecoupling itself can be formed of high strength corrosion resistantmaterials while the pump housing 50 and anchor section 30 can be castmaterials which do not have or require all of the characteristics of thecoupling material. Use of the coupling 18 thus effectively increases theuseful life of the anchor section and pump housing while enabling theirfabrication from readily available cast materials which need not beextensively machined to permit coupling and sealing functions.

While a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, the invention is not to be considered limited to the preciseconstruction shown. Various adaptations, modifications and uses of theinvention may occur to those having ordinary skill in the art to whichthe invention pertains and it is the intention to cover all suchadaptations, modifications and uses which come within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

We claim:

I. A pumping system comprising:

a. a submersible pump having an inlet and an outlet,

b. discharge conduit structure having a seal face,

c. a coupling body having first and second end faces and a flow passageported on said faces,

d. means detachably connecting said coupling body to said pump so thatsaid first end face is sealed against said pump with said flow passagecommunicating with said outlet,

e. guide means mounting said pump for vertical movement between anoperating position in which said flow passage communicates with saiddischarge conduit structure and another position in which said pump isvertically spaced above said discharge conduit structure,

f. resilient seal means mounted on said second end face of said couplingbody around said flow passage,

g. said pump being arranged on said guide means so that said second faceof said coupling body is tilted down and away with respect to said sealface of said discharge conduit structure during movement of said pumpalong said guide means and so that said pump is rotatable to bring saidseal means into sealing engagement with said seal face in said operatingposition,

h. hook structure on said coupling body extending toward said dischargeconduit structure, and

i. hook supporting means carried by said discharge conduit structure inposition to be engaged by said hook structure when said pump is loweredto said operating position, whereby said pump is clamped to saiddischarge conduit structure.

2. A pumping system as claimed in claim 1 in which said hook structurecomprises a pair of laterally spaced hooks, each having a bearingsurface substantially parallel to said second end face of said couplingbody and engageable with hook supporting means to hold said second endface against said seal face of said discharge conduit structure.

3. A pumping system as claimed in claim I in which said hook supportingmeans comprises a rod.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said conduit structureincludes a flange defining said seal face, said supporting meansincludes portions extending generally parallel to the plane of said sealface and projecting from said conduit structure on opposite sides ofsaid flange, said hook structure comprises first and second hookelements projecting from said coupling body, said hook elements eachdefining a bight engageable with a respective portion of said hooksupporting means.

5. A pumping system as claimed in claim 1 in which said second end faceof said coupling body includes a groove extending around the port ofsaid flow passage and in which said resilient seal means comprises aseal element seated in said groove, said seal element having aresiliently deflectible sealing lip projecting from said second end facetoward said seal face.

6. The system claimed in claim 5, wherein said groove has a generallydovetail shaped cross section and said seal element has a body sectionnesting in and conforming to said groove.

7. A pumping system comprising:

a. a pump having an inlet and an outlet,

b. a discharge conduit member having a terminating flange which definesa seal face,

c. rod means releasably secured to said conduit memher, said rod meanshaving laterally projecting portions beyond said terminating flange,

d. a coupling body having a pair of end faces and a flow passage portedon said faces,

e. means releasably securing said coupling body to said pump so that oneend face is sealed to said pump and the other end face is positioned tomate i with said seal face,

f. said other end face including a groove around the port of said flowpassage,

g. a resilient seal element seated in said groove, said element having aresiliently deflectible sealing lip projecting from said other end faceand engageable with said seal face,

h. fixed vertical guide means mounting said pump for movement between anoperating position in which said other end face is sealed against saidseal face with said flow passage in communication with said dischargeconduit member and another position in which said pump is spaced abovesaid conduit member,

i. said pump being arranged on said guide means so that said other endface of said coupling body is tilted down and away with respect to saidseal face of said discharge conduit member during movement of said pumpalong said guide means and so that said pump is rotatable to bring saidseal element into sealing engagement with said seal face in saidoperating position, and

j. a pair of laterally spaced hooks on said coupling body projectingtoward said conduit member and engageable with projecting portions ofsaid rod means in said operating position to clamp said pump to saiddischarge conduit member.

8. A pumping system as claimed in claim 7 in which said pump is mountedso that its center of gravity is aligned with said guide members, andhoisting means connected to said pump at a location offset from saidcenter of gravity.

9. A pumping system as claimed in claim 7 in which said resilientlydeflectible sealing lip projects away from said coupling body andcircumferentially inwardly with respect to said flow passage, and inwhich said groove has a generally dovetail cross-section, said sealelement having a body portion nested in and conforming to said groove.

10. The pumping system as claimed in claim 7 wherein each of said hookscomprises a bight surface for engaging said rod means, a cam surfacemerging with said bight surface and facing away from said coupling body,and a third surface facing said coupling body and merging with saidbight surface, said cam surface being effective to guide said rod meansto said bight surface during coupling and enable said seal element toengage said seal face of discharge conduit member, said third hooksurface being parallel to said other end face of said coupling body andbearing on said rod means after coupling to prevent said pump frommoving away from said discharge conduit member.

1. A pumping system comprising: a. a submersible pump having an inletand an outlet, b. discharge conduit structure having a seal face, c. acoupling body having first and second end faces and a flow passageported on said faces, d. means detachably connecting said coupling bodyto said pump so that said first end face is sealed against said pumpwith said flow passage communicating with said outlet, e. guide meansmounting said pump for vertical movement between an operating positionin which said fLow passage communicates with said discharge conduitstructure and another position in which said pump is vertically spacedabove said discharge conduit structure, f. resilient seal means mountedon said second end face of said coupling body around said flow passage,g. said pump being arranged on said guide means so that said second faceof said coupling body is tilted down and away with respect to said sealface of said discharge conduit structure during movement of said pumpalong said guide means and so that said pump is rotatable to bring saidseal means into sealing engagement with said seal face in said operatingposition, h. hook structure on said coupling body extending toward saiddischarge conduit structure, and i. hook supporting means carried bysaid discharge conduit structure in position to be engaged by said hookstructure when said pump is lowered to said operating position, wherebysaid pump is clamped to said discharge conduit structure.
 2. A pumpingsystem as claimed in claim 1 in which said hook structure comprises apair of laterally spaced hooks, each having a bearing surfacesubstantially parallel to said second end face of said coupling body andengageable with hook supporting means to hold said second end faceagainst said seal face of said discharge conduit structure.
 3. A pumpingsystem as claimed in claim 1 in which said hook supporting meanscomprises a rod.
 4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidconduit structure includes a flange defining said seal face, saidsupporting means includes portions extending generally parallel to theplane of said seal face and projecting from said conduit structure onopposite sides of said flange, said hook structure comprises first andsecond hook elements projecting from said coupling body, said hookelements each defining a bight engageable with a respective portion ofsaid hook supporting means.
 5. A pumping system as claimed in claim 1 inwhich said second end face of said coupling body includes a grooveextending around the port of said flow passage and in which saidresilient seal means comprises a seal element seated in said groove,said seal element having a resiliently deflectible sealing lipprojecting from said second end face toward said seal face.
 6. Thesystem claimed in claim 5, wherein said groove has a generally dovetailshaped cross section and said seal element has a body section nesting inand conforming to said groove.
 7. A pumping system comprising: a. a pumphaving an inlet and an outlet, b. a discharge conduit member having aterminating flange which defines a seal face, c. rod means releasablysecured to said conduit member, said rod means having laterallyprojecting portions beyond said terminating flange, d. a coupling bodyhaving a pair of end faces and a flow passage ported on said faces, e.means releasably securing said coupling body to said pump so that oneend face is sealed to said pump and the other end face is positioned tomate with said seal face, f. said other end face including a groovearound the port of said flow passage, g. a resilient seal element seatedin said groove, said element having a resiliently deflectible sealinglip projecting from said other end face and engageable with said sealface, h. fixed vertical guide means mounting said pump for movementbetween an operating position in which said other end face is sealedagainst said seal face with said flow passage in communication with saiddischarge conduit member and another position in which said pump isspaced above said conduit member, i. said pump being arranged on saidguide means so that said other end face of said coupling body is tilteddown and away with respect to said seal face of said discharge conduitmember during movement of said pump along said guide means and so thatsaid pump is rotatable to bring said seal element into sealingengagement with said seal face in said operating position, and j. a pairof Laterally spaced hooks on said coupling body projecting toward saidconduit member and engageable with projecting portions of said rod meansin said operating position to clamp said pump to said discharge conduitmember.
 8. A pumping system as claimed in claim 7 in which said pump ismounted so that its center of gravity is aligned with said guidemembers, and hoisting means connected to said pump at a location offsetfrom said center of gravity.
 9. A pumping system as claimed in claim 7in which said resiliently deflectible sealing lip projects away fromsaid coupling body and circumferentially inwardly with respect to saidflow passage, and in which said groove has a generally dovetailcross-section, said seal element having a body portion nested in andconforming to said groove.
 10. The pumping system as claimed in claim 7wherein each of said hooks comprises a bight surface for engaging saidrod means, a cam surface merging with said bight surface and facing awayfrom said coupling body, and a third surface facing said coupling bodyand merging with said bight surface, said cam surface being effective toguide said rod means to said bight surface during coupling and enablesaid seal element to engage said seal face of discharge conduit member,said third hook surface being parallel to said other end face of saidcoupling body and bearing on said rod means after coupling to preventsaid pump from moving away from said discharge conduit member.